AUGUSTA – Five of eight bills addressing animal welfare are still alive after a six-hour work session by the Legislature’s Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Committee on Thursday.

Of those, two are headed to the House and Senate for a vote, and three were tabled for further discussion.

All the bills were discussed during a crowded, daylong public hearing held on April 6.

The committee tabled one of the bills – meant to offer protection to the public from dangerous dogs – until Wednesday when an Androscoggin County prosecutor can answer committee questions. Sen. John Nutting, D-Leeds, had submitted the bill after learning of seven families in Livermore Falls whose farm animals were terrorized by a neighbor’s pit bulls.

The bill would set new standards for secure enclosures that confine aggressive dogs, and give the courts more options in prosecuting violations.

The committee killed another bill, sponsored by Rep. Elaine Makas, D-Lewiston, that sought to “prevent abuse of pet ownership rights.” Currently an owner can dispatch their dog or cat by killing it with one bullet, but the bill would have limited that right to only when the animal is suffering or is a threat to others.

Nutting, chairman of the committee, said the bill died because the language was too broad. Committee members have suggested a redraft, to be presented next year.

The committee put its seal of approval on legislation aimed at increasing funding for the spaying and neutering of animals, sponsored by Nutting. The bill, if passed on the floor, would give a chunk of the fees collected from the registration of pets and from commercial feed to spaying and neutering programs.

The committee also suggested adopting an amended version of legislation meant to protect household pets and other animals from poisoning, sponsored by Rep. Emily Cain, D-Orono. The bill aimed to require certain types of engine coolant and antifreeze to contain a bittering agent so that they would be unappealing to pets.

Committee legislative analyst Jill Ippoliti said the amendment would not include propylone glycol, an ingredient found in antifreeze and other automotive fluids, and would include containers larger than 55 gallons, both included in the original text. Also, the bill will not go into effect until three other Northeastern states pass something similar to ease the burden on manufacturers.

The committee killed bills that would have prohibited surgically removing a dog’s vocal cords, sponsored by Rep. Thomas Watson, D-Bath, and set guidelines for dogs tied outside, sponsored by Rep. Peggy Pendleton, D-Scarborough.

Nutting said the first bill died after a veterinarian testified that it is an expensive and uncommon surgery, which is only done in extreme circumstances.

The second bill died because of the opposition, Nutting said. During both the public hearing and the work session, members of sled dog, hunting dog, and guide groups testified that the bill would limit their ability to care for their animals.

The bill had targeted negligent owners.

The committee is still working on a bill to decrease the surcharge on sales of dogs and cats that have not been fixed, sponsored by Sen. Lois Snowe-Mello, R-Poland. During the public hearing there was strong opposition to the bill. Committee members are also working on a bill proposing 50 changes to animal welfare laws, submitted by the Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Resources.